Here's the Higgins. Thanks very much to C.L. of Houma, who mailed in a recipe for the creamy crabmeat Higgins soup from the St. Charles restaurant. The recipe was requested by M.G. of N.O., who wrote a few weeks back that " 'comfort food' has never been so true a term as post-you-know-who."

RECIPES FOLLOW FOR:
CRABMEAT HIGGINS SOUP
DEATH BY CHOCOLATE
TENNESSEE BREAD PUDDING WITH BOURBON SAUCE
DIPPING SAUCE LIKE THE ONE FROM RAISING CANE'S

Information with the recipe says the restaurant was at 333 St. Charles Ave., next to One Shell Square, and closed when the building was converted into a hotel.

"I obtained the recipe from a neighbor who worked in One Shell Square and frequented the restaurant," C.L. writes.

The recipe contains liquid crab boil, as do many local seafood soup recipes, as well as evaporated milk, which gives its own flavor to soups.

Crabmeat Higgins soup

1stick butter

1/2cup chopped onion

3tablespoons minced bell pepper

3cans Campbell's tomato soup

1pound crabmeat

Liquid crab boil to taste

Salt and pepper to taste

3cans evaporated milk (or half cream and half milk)

Put butter in a large pot and melt. Add chopped bell pepper and onion and saute. Add tomato soup and crabmeat, and cook for approximately 30 minutes on low fire. Season with crab boil, salt and pepper. Add evaporated milk and stir. Bring back to temperature.

Serve with garlic French bread.

TEXAS POUND CAKE STILL AWOL: M.L.V. of Slidell supplied more details about the recipe she is missing for Texas pound cake, which included candied red cherries, candied pineapple, lemon extract and cake flour. Please check any recipes you may have clipped from The Times-Picayune to see if you have this one. She said it made a very large batch, stirred up in a cooking pot because it was too big for a mixing bowl, and yielded about four loaves of pound cake.

She also wanted another recipe she lost, for "Death by Chocolate." This is really easy to make and has many variations, such as the one that follows. In some versions, the baked brownies are dosed with a half-cup of Kahlua or sweetened coffee. The candy bars can be chopped up, or use an 8-ounce bag of the toffee candy bits. You may want to freeze the candy bars to make them easier to break up.

Also, some recipes call for instant pudding mix, while others say do not use the instant variety.

Death by Chocolate

Makes 15 to 20 servings

1 box brownie mix, large size

2 boxes chocolate pudding mix (plus milk to prepare)

8 Heath or Skor candy bars, broken into small bits

2 large containers Cool Whip

Bake brownies according to package directions in a 9-by-13-inch pan. Mix pudding according to box directions and set aside.

IT'S THE WEEK FOR DESSERTS NAMED AFTER STATES: I can't find Texas pound cake, but here's a dessert from Tennessee.

M.D. of Marrero writes, "Would you please print the recipe for Tennessee bread pudding? I lost my copy during Katrina."

Tennessee bread pudding

Makes 6 to 8 servings

2 cups hot water

1 ｽ cups sugar

1 (12-ounce) can evaporated milk

4 large eggs

1 cup flaked coconut

ｽ cup crushed pineapple, drained

ｽ cup raisins

1/3 cup butter, melted

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

ｽ teaspoon ground nutmeg

ｼ teaspoon ground cinnamon

9 slices white bread with crust, cut into ｽ-inch cubes

Bourbon sauce (recipe follows)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Combine the water and sugar in a large bowl and stir until the sugar dissolves. Add the milk and eggs, stirring with a wire whisk until blended. Add the coconut, pineapple, raisins, butter, vanilla, nutmeg and cinnamon. Add the bread and let stand for about 30 minutes, stirring occasionally. Pour into a lightly greased 13-by-9-by-2-inch pan and bake until a knife inserted in the center comes out clean, about 45 minutes. Cool slightly before serving.

BOURBON SAUCE

1 cup light corn syrup

ｼ cup butter

ｼ cup bourbon

ｽ teaspoon vanilla extract

Bring the corn syrup to a boil in a saucepan. Remove from the heat and cool slightly. With a wire whisk, stir in the butter, bourbon and vanilla. Serve warm.

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DIPPING LIKE CANE'S?: R.M. of Harahan wanted to know how to make a dipping sauce like the one that's a closely guarded secret at Raising Cane's chicken fingers restaurants. The speculation has been that the sauce contains mayo, ketchup and Tony Chachere's seasoning.

R.P. sent a link to a Web site on which someone posted this: "I found out how to make a good taste-alike recipe for Cane's Sauce. This is what you need: mayonnaise, ketchup, Tony Chachere's Original Seasoning, black pepper. Take the mayonnaise and . . . mix in ketchup, enough until it turns the Cane's color. Mix in pepper and Tony's to taste. When you mix in pepper and Tony's, you will be able to taste that wonderful Cane's Sauce."

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WHAT IS THE PLAN? If you have any food or cooking tips that relate to planning for the hurricane season, I would like to share them in a future story. Are you keeping nothing in your freezer after June 1? Are you stocking up on canned goods? Do you have a case of MREs in the trunk of your car in case you have to evacuate?

Please let me know by sending an e-mail, with PLANNING TIP in the subject line, to jwalker@timespicayune.com.

Your ideas will help and inspire others to prepare -- and alleviate a measure of worry -- for this important time.

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ARCHIVE REMINDER: If you have access to the Internet and have missed any Exchange Alley columns, Food cover stories or Marcelle Bienvenu columns since the storm, most are now being archived at www.nola.com/food. You may have to click around or scroll awhile to find them, but take a look, especially if you're out of town. Click on "Rebuilding Recipes."